The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-14
Henry Georges Theories.

An unknown quantity in New York poll
tics is the extent of the influence of the land
theories of Mr.. Henry George, the candidate
of the United Labor party for Secretary of
State. A very brief outline of those theo-
ries, drawn from arecent publication of his,
may prove interesting.
Mr.. Georges first assumption is that all
men have an equal right to the use and en-
joyment of the elements provided by nature,
and that land is one of those elements. He
contends that, under whatever claim indi-
vduals may hold land the real title rests
in the people at large--that is, in the gov
eminent, which represents the people He
holds that each man has an exclusive right
to the use and enjoyment of
what is produced by his own
labor and when that labor has been in
vested in the improvement of land the re-
suit still belongs to him, though the bare land
itself does not The land belonging to the
government. it is nothing but right that
the occupier should pay rent for its use, and
the amount of rent should be fixed by the
circumstances surrounding each holding
The value of land is greater or less as the
value resulting FROM dense population is
not result of the labor of the occupier,
and therefore belongs to the people-or the
government.
The present tax on land is in reality rent
and it should be increased until it reaches
the full renting value, while the present
tax on personal property and capital is an
appropriation from the results or wages of
labor, and should be abolished. When the
tax has reached the full renting value of
land, no man will hold more than he can
use, and will relinquish to the next conner
any in excess of that amount which he may
now occupy. The result would be practi-
cally confiscaton of all lands to the use of
the government. and the destruction of
their value, as the rent would exactly cover
that 1t will be observed that Mr. George
does not propose an equal division of land,
but only that every citizen shall have an
equal share in its value.
The good results which he claims would
follow the adoption of his theory of taxa
ton are as follows:
In the first place, the tax on labor or the
use of capital would be abolished. Every
one would be free to make and save wealt h
and to do any of those things which add to
the stock of human comfort and national
wealth. All taxes which add to the price of
things as they pass from hand to hand would
disappear
In the second place, by the increase of
population the fund to be devoted to COM
mon uses would constantly increase.
Finally, the speculative value of land
would be destroyed and it would always
be open to the use of labor. So long as any
unused land in a community remained, it
could be obtained by those who wished TO
use it, not only without the payment of a
purchase price, but without the payment of
tax or rent, until the taking up of less ad-
vantageouS land showed that it had rent
| ing value.
The above is very brief but, as far as it
goes, fair outline of the theories which Mr..
George is advocating with a great deal of
clever and plausible argument; but, how
ever clever the argument, he will find it
hard to convince farmers that his plan of
taxation would not add to their burdens,
and the people at large that the government
having once sold the exclusive use of land
TO individuals can honestly conhscate it, di-
rectly or indirectly